Love Killer
by InLoveWithFairyTail
Summary: Meet Amu Hinamori, teenage police officer with the gun Rose-X077, who's set on taking down the leader of Seiyo Boys', the delinquent school. Good news, she found out who he is. Bad news, romance may start to develop after a kiss...TWO kisses to be more specific. Of course, there are worse news that are just slightly...different from humanity's expectations of a teenage love story.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**This is my first Shugo Chara fanfic, so please go easy on me!**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Shugo Chara!**

**'Cuz if I had helped out with the anime, Amu would have had blushed a lot more around Kiuto than Tadase...but DISCLAMER: I did not! **

**so yeah...**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter One: Prologue**

Amu Hinamori was taught one lesson throughout her all girls' school life: the Seiyo Boys' who attended the all boys harem of Seiyo All Boys' Academy were, most definitely, delinquents. They liked to do nothing but punch people to a pulp, and bask in the glory of their violent victories all day. School consisted of learning how to flip someone over your shoulder, or tying the teacher to the ceiling by his feet, and keeping him there until another staff member heard his pleas for help. The principal of the school didn't bother to fix the broken, jagged windows of the academy, since they were most likely going to be shattered the next day anyways. Graffiti lined the walls of the school, and scary looking guys were sometimes seen emerging from within the depths of the entrance doors. Despite all of this murderous scenery, Seiyo All Girl's Academy and Seiyo All Boys' were separated by nothing but a low wall that had nice cherry blossom trees growing on both sides alternatively. Which would have been a nice view…if not for the constant bloody corpses…all right, that part was a lie. But someday, Amu believed, she'd probably be in the middle of witnessing a mugging that could potentially kill someone, and then she'd rescue them. And her position in the police department would level up! And furthermore, she'd finally be recognized by those around her in the local law enforcement.

Of course, the government already had AMU HINAMORI in their database, marked down as a teenage officer that was allowed to carry her own gun (a handheld one, called the Rose-X077). But the fellow cops looked down on her, disgusted that their hard-worked for job could actually be handed over to a female _kid. _But to that, the pink-haired girl would say that she was fifteen, well on her way to becoming an adult, and was already in her first year of high school. Two more years, and she'd be college, she'd continue to the police, and _then _would they accept her?

Oh, and did she mention she had to scale buildings and duck her way through fires just to be able to say, "I'm Amu Hinamori, a teen officer."

The one thing that the pinkette could actually think that would immediately make her rise in the "business" was to take down Seiyo Boys' Yankee (Japanese term for delinquent) leader, and pound him until all that there was left of his face was a mess. She'd drag him to the police station and announce, "This is the vandal and assaulter you've all been looking for!"

Apparently, no one knew who the leader was, and the boys who attended the school were extremely sly and sneaky, and had never gotten caught by the officers…so no one had ever been investigated and worn down enough to blurt out the name of their "Director". But Amu would prevail…!

"_Amu!" _Rima screeched in her face, and the pink-haired girl flinched back. Her hand slipped out from under her chin and her face slammed down hard on her desk. Grouchily, she lifted her head up and rubbed her chin.

"What?" she asked snippily. "I was having some good thoughts…"

Rima Mashiro, in all her shortness and long blonde hair, snorted disbelievingly. "More like daydreaming about bringing down Seiyo Boys' Top Delinquent, or TD for short."

Amu slammed her fists down her desks, and whispered ferociously, "I will succeed! Just you watch, Rima…"

Behind, a little arrogant chuckle was heard, and the pink-haired girl let her pupils slide to the corners of her eyes. It was Saaya Yamabuki, trying to keep her face straight…but she wasn't a good actor, no matter what her little fan club said she was. It seemed to Hinamori that the girl who was sitting behind her had a lot more to her than being snobby and boy crazy. (She even had the guts to be completely obsessed with Kukai Soma, one of the greatest Yankees in the school next to them.)

Well, most of the guys who were good fighters at Seiyo Boys' were extremely good-looking, even Amu couldn't resist thinking that…but, _but…_she would never say so out loud.

"What are you laughing at, Yamabuki?" Rima inquired, lifting her nose high into the air. She was never one to like being laughed at.

"Just thinking how Soma will be mine any day now."

"Right," Mashiro's voice was dripping with sarcasm, but Saaya couldn't sense a sarcastic sentence even if it had SARCASM written all over it.

"Thank you for agreeing."

"Don't associate yourself with me," Rima harrumphed and walked away, leaving Yamabuki in a stuttering mess.

"What was with her?" she asked of Amu, but the girl just glared at her coldly.

"Yamashiro, why do you know so much about Kukai Soma?" she asked icily.

"It's Yama_buki _and why would you want to know?"

The pinkette stared at her. It was a secret that she was, in fact, a police officer, so she chose to keep her answer simple.

"Just curious…you know we'll be punished if we're found anywhere near the boys' school…?"

"What are you implying? That I'm sneaking over there?"

"No. Just stating a fact…what are you so hyped up about Wakabuki?"

"_Yama_buki! And I am not 'hyped up' about anything!"

"Alright, you don't need to mess up your hair over it…"

"What?! What have…my hair?!"

Hinamori turned her back on the flustering girl and smiled lopsidedly. One thing she had always noted on was that Saaya Yamabuki was definitely the most terrible liar she had ever seen.

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_Name: Amu Hinamori_

_ Position: Police Officer_

_ Age: 15, freshman in high school_

_ Mission: Bring down the leader of Seiyo Boys'_

_ New Mission Objective: Follow Saaya Yamabuki…she'll probably lead me to the TD (Top Delinquent)_

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2: Rose-X077

**Yay! Second Chapter! U**

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**Chapter Two: Rose-X007**

Yamashiro…Wakabuki….Yamabuki lingered around Seiyo Girls' for hours, and Amu, intending to be her stalker for an hour or more, stayed as well…secretly.

The pink-haired girl had given her farewells to her classmates, left the classroom, the school entrance, and had even gone all the way home. Then, she had bounded off, ducking behind trees ad trash cans. She had kept her backpack, because in it was her gun, loaded and ready to use.

So that was how she had ended up spending her precious Friday wasting time hiding under a cramped desk just to wait for the moment when Yakashiro…Yoshida…? Yama...da? No, no…it was something with a 'buki'. Oh, kobuki! No…ah…Yamabuki! Waiting for the moment when Yamabuki left!

Finally, when the moon had just risen over the horizon of Tokyo, the girl left her seat in the classroom, rushed down the hallways, clicked open a window lock, and climbed out. Hinamori trailed after her quietly, and chose a faraway window to open so that she would not be noticed. Carefully, she slipped a tree stick through a crack on the top and brought it down so that the lock clicked back into place. Somewhere off to her right, she could sense Wasabi…Yamabuki…doing the same. In the ascending darkness, she could just make out the girl's silhouette gliding towards the low separation wall, and slipping over it. Warily, after waiting a few seconds, Amu followed, copying her predecessor.

Immediately, a catastrophe of a courtyard met her straining eyes and she held back her grunt of frustration as she stepped over bits of debris and noisy trash littered upon the ground. In front of her, that Ya..Yoshida character was getting farther away, her rich curls and earrings disappearing in the velvety dark of night. The pinkette had time to see her gently pick her way through a jagged window before almost yelping in surprise when her foot hit a rubber tire on the ground.

Really? A tire? Boys were so weird…even if they were full out delinquents.

From every which way she looked, all she could see was trash, garbage, rubbish, debris, and junk. (She always won word games with her parents and friends.) Relentlessly, though, she avoided each piece of plastic, glass, or wood until she had finally reached the window where Yamabuki had let herself in. Eyeing the jutting out sharp pieces of the glass, the pinkette carefully elevated herself, then lowered herself inside the hallway of the Yankee school.

The inside was no better than the outside. Food wrappers, shirts, and dirty shoes were on the ground. Even underwear and boxers….she had said it before, hadn't she? Boys were truly weird. The hallway stretched on for miles either way, and the girl tore herself apart trying to decide which one Yamabuki had plodded down.

Amu was about to turn and choose the left path when a voice whispered beside her ear.

"What are you doing here?"

She whirled around, clenching her hands into fists, but two strong ones had already gripped onto her wrists. She was pulled towards someone who was leaning inside from the window she had just come through…and found herself staring into deep green emerald eyes that shimmered and sparkled like the surface of a peaceful lake. But these eyes weren't calm. They seemed to be hiding some evil plot behind them, a brain that was constantly inventing some new kind of mischievous act, and then doing it right away without much further thought. The person pushed her away from him until she had a full view of his face.

His hair was reddish brown, an auburn sort of color and they matched with his eyes perfectly. On his ears were earrings, and his uniform was worn sloppily. Instead of a blazer, he had a hoodie that stayed unzipped, and his uniform shirt's top buttons were unbuttoned; he wore no tie around his shirt collar. He gave her a dashing grin, that said he was serious about her, yet he was just playing with her like any other girl he came across at the same time.

It was Kukai Soma.

"What the…? Let me go!" Amu tried to wrench her hands away from his, but they wouldn't budge. Despite his laidback aura, he was actually very strong.

"Have I caught your heart?" he asked her, cocking his head to one side. That actually made him cute, but the pinkette turned her gaze away.

"I have, haven't I?" he asked, and held onto her tightly. "Is that why you're sneaking in here? To have your first kiss with me?"

"No…" Amu replied helplessly, and said, "So can you please let me go?"

"No can do, lover girl," he said cheerfully in a singsong voice, "any trespasser on Seiyo Boys' ground gets to meet up with the Punisher. Especially girls. Girls, in a nutshell, we find them very annoying. Except the sexy ones...and you," he looked at her, moving his head up and down, "definitely do not fit the bill. Now Utau Hoshina…that's one girl we let hang out with us…"

"Aren't you kind of chatty?" Amu interrupted, tugging at her captor. At her comment, he frowned at her, and jumped through the window. He retightened his hold on her arms, and let her left hand go, keeping her right in his right.

"You're right. I'm bein' too chatty. The Punisher won't be happy about that…so off we go, now."

"I-!"

"No amount of protesting is ever gonna get me to let go of your arm," he cut her off, and turned his face sideways a little to stare at her, "You know that right?"

Amu fought the urge to blush and they started to walk; Hinamori dragged behind him as he nearly tore her arm from its socket each time they rounded a corner. She, _in a nutshell _(the pinkette found satisfaction in mocking her captor), was very annoyed that she was trailing after this boy so obediently. Normally, she would have kicked and screamed, and punched and hollered…but there was something about the atmosphere of this situation that made her stay silent. Something about the Punisher that she just knew that she had to find out more about. So, deciding wisely to follower her instinct, she plodded quietly after Kukai, who said nothing to her as the hallways they arrived in got darker and darker.

At one point, she thought she heard something from behind one of the doors, and she almost leapt up high into the air…but she suppressed it. The only signal that let anyone know she had been frightened was a slight quiver of her body, but the boy imprisoning her seemed to notice the change in the girl's stillness. In the blackness, she thought she could make out a smirk on his face…which she dearly wanted to slap off. Although, the pinkette, choosing to be wise at the moment, didn't think that would be the most intelligent thing to do.

Suddenly, as if it had come from another world entirely, the next hallway appeared, and it was illuminated with bright light. Amu hid her eyes behind the sleeve of her shirt as she was temporarily blinded, but Kukai seemed unbothered by it. He only walked on, almost making the girl fall onto her butt with his momentum. At the middle of the hall were two boys, standing stock still in front of a door.

They looked with faint interest at Amu, but smirked when they saw that she was with Kukai.

"New girl?" a purple long-haired boy asked the auburn-haired one.

"Naw, she's not my type," Soma answered, waving off his friend's question.

"Well, she's not Ikuto's type either…if you're planning to go in there," a blonde and red-eyed boy said from the other side of the closed doorway. Kukai sighed disgustedly.

"I don't care…I need to see him…this girl was trespassing…I think she was followin' Sachi, or whatever her name is…"

"You mean Saaya?" the Purple Head asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"You should at least remember the names of the girls you make out with."

"Yeah well…she was a great kisser and all but…"

"You guys make me sick…" Amu sniffed, and Kukai turned to look at her.

"You see why I need to report this girl to Ikuto? She's a total bi…"

"Don't you _dare _call me what you're about to call me!" Hinamori snapped, and the auburn-haired boy raised any eyebrow to the two boys in front of him.

"Alright," the blondie conceded, and laid his hand on the doorknob, "but prepare to be scarred for a moment."

Amu wondered what he could mean by that, but her understanding was suddenly given to her when the door swung open.

On a couch, a blue-haired boy was sitting casually on a couch while a girl with silver hair was passionately kissing him. She had his arms around his neck, and he was only lightly holding her elbows, as if this were the most natural thing ever. When the door creaked, the girl pulled away from him, her breathing audible in the medium-sized room, and she looked over at the doorway.

"Kiss time is over," Purple Head said, giving the time-out signal.

"Alright then," the girl said simply, and eyed Amu," is she next or something? She isn't your type, Ikuto."

"I agree," the blue-haired boy said, standing up and brushing off the cuffs of his collar. "Who is she?"

Before Kukai could answer, Amu blurted out, "You disgust me!"

Ikuto raised his eyebrows. "Why? We were only kissing. Nothing more. What did you think we were doing?"

The pinkette blushed. "N-nothing!"

"Kukai…why is she here?"

"She's a trespasser…and she's annoying."

"I'd say you were the irritating one," the girl muttered under her breath, and the auburn haired boy jerked his arm away from her.

Before Ikuto could say anything more, a familiar annoying voice pierced the air.

"Kukai-sama!" the rich girl wailed and prepared to fling herself at the paling boy, but she paused and turned abruptly to face Amu.

"_Hinamori!?" _she said in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Are you trying to steal Kukai away from me!? Are you, huh? Are you!?"

Amu, truthfully, wasn't listening. In the few minutes she had been abducted, this curly-haired, extravagant girl's name had slipped from her mind. Now, she was desperately trying to remember her name. Finally, the pinkette pointed a finger at her.

"Watanabe, right?"

A moment of silence ensued.

The other girl exploded, "NO!"

"Yamashiro?"

"No, it's…"

"Oh, I know, it's Wakabuki."

"No, it's-!"

"Or is it Wasabi…?

"It's-!"

"Yamada? Yoshida?"

Curly Head glared at her coldly. "You know, Hi_ma_mori…"

"Actually Kabuki, or whatever your friggin' name is, it's Hinamori…"

"…we've spent a nice…well, far from nice actually…five years in the same class together...one in elementary, three in middle school, and now….My Daddy bought the nicest clothes for me…I stood out the MOST in school…so….how…can…you…_not…know….my….name!?"_

"You know, it'd be a lot easier to remember it if you weren't so irritating all the time…your voice gives me migraines. I'm surprised I've survived these five years…wait, five years?"

"Yeah…remember? You were the totally introverted geek, and I was the most popular…"

"You know…that's _not_ exactly how I remember my early years…"

"I was the best actor, singer, dancer, poet, author, public orator…"

"Okay, _now _I remember you…Yamabuki, the snob, the most irritating, boy crazy person alive…you are in my…"

"Yes! I was in your history class in grade school, your science, health, P.E., and math in middle school…"

"Actually, I was about to say…you are in my English class right? You sit behind me. Hi, my name's Amu Hinamori, nice to meet you Yoshida-san."

Her words had the desired effect. Yamabuki screeched in rage, and turned to bow to Kukai, then to Ikuto.

"Kukai-sama, Ikuto-sama, I'm sorry, but I will…have to leave now…"

"Yeah...I really don't think that's possible."

Kukai, who had started to laugh behind his arm, paused and paled at the sight of Amu retrieving her gun from her bag. Ikuto himself stumbled back, until he masked his look of surprise with a façade of serenity. Saaya had stopped her departure, staring in horror at her classmate. Without a much further delay, Amu leapt towards the blue-haired boy and brought him down onto the ground, pointing her handgun at his face.

"This is the Rose-X077. Despite its small stature and pretty intricate designs of roses…it's actually very accurate and deadly. I promise you; from this close proximity, I will not miss. Now, all you need to do…is answer me honestly and slowly."

Behind her, she could hear the boys shuffling.

"Move and I press the trigger," she barked, but Ikuto smirked.

"She won't. Go you guys. Get help."

Hinamori felt a prickle of annoyance. Why was it that people always thought she could not pull the trigger of her RX77? She aimed at the ground an inch from the boy's face and shot. The explosion immediately stopped Kukai, Purple Head, and Blondie's progress to the door. Amu continued to focus all her attention on Ikuto.

"You're the leader, aren't you?" she asked, "Along with being the Punisher that is?"

"You're sharp," he smiled, "And how exactly did you find out?"

"The way Yamabuki exaggerated and stressed your name…like you were important…way more important than being someone who inflicts discipline."

"So that whole thing about forgetting her name was to provoke her to give something away?"

"Partially."

"Partially?"

"I actually did forget her name."

For a moment, a shadow of a smile passed over the boy's face but he quickly stifled it.

"And why are you doing this?"

"If I bring down the leader, then I can level up in the police department…"

"What do you mean?" Kukai asked, his voice loud. Amu glanced at him before turning back to her target. The auburn-haired boy was no longer pale, but defiant, even though his friend had a weapon aimed right at his nose.

"I'm Amu Hinamori…teenage police officer…the government allows me to hold the Rose-X077…"

"You talk as if that weapon is special…" Purple Head said, his voice also strengthening.

"…and rare…" Blondie's voice was not as firm, but it still sounded tough enough.

Amu couldn't help it…she started to laugh, softly at first, but then more loudly.

"Why do I talk about it as if it's rare? As if it's special? Because I made it…I made the RX77 with my own hands…people around me didn't think a kid could make something so useful though…so they rejected my suggestion to make more…" the girl added bitterly.

"And why exactly do you want to take me down…besides the reason of gaining a better position in the law enforcement?"

"Because people like you make me sick! Beating people up for no entire reason…kissing girls like they're objects…treating everyone as if they're tools…you make me want to vomit."

"I kiss girls like they're girls…not objects…and they like it, so they hang around me. Watch, I'll show you…"

Ikuto pushed her off him with a jolt of power and held her in his arms. Quickly, he pressed his lips against hers and held them there, holding onto her head so that she couldn't jolt away. Next to her, she could hear Kukai making a strangling sound. But she was well aware of the pumping of her blood up to her face. Finally, shock turning into rage, she took the RoseX and pressed against Ikuto's armpit, digging the barrel into his skin hard. A grunt of pain reached his lips and caused him to part away from her. Amu pulled the trigger.

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***gasp* what will happen next? I'm only teasin' you guys...sorry ;D Please Review...because you know you love that box below this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3: Kiss Times Two

**Here's the third chapter! I'm really HAPPY about all the reviews and follows! Thank you so much! :D**

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**Chapter Three: Kiss Times Two**

Amu pulled the trigger. The shot was clear and loud in the small room, and for a moment, the pink-haired girl paled in Ikuto's grasp thinking, _I shot him, I shot him, I shot him! _ Her breath grew ragged as she heard the blue-haired boy grunt, and his grip loosened around her.

"That was close," his deep voice said instead, and as he let go of her, she could see a hole in the ground where her hand had slipped and instead shot at the ground. She met the boy's gaze and he looked at her slyly; slowly, he drew his tongue across his lips, and looked at her hungrily.

"Get away," she managed to mumble, trying to get on her feet, but her legs felt weak. She stumbled and landed on her butt once again. Ikuto reached out his hand and laid his hand on her cheek, but she flinched away at the contact, her mind racing.

Finally, her eyes flared and she pointed her gun at him. "I'll _kill _you!"

She couldn't stop the tears from coming; the salty liquid poured down her face and she swiped them away angrily, her grip slackening on the RX77. Still, they came, and raced down, dripping onto her lap harmlessly. Someone put their hands on her shoulders and she cringed, shutting her eyes tightly.

"Are you okay?" the blonde asked, lifting her up. He looked at her with his red eyes, the long eyelashes fluttering over them. But his attention couldn't keep her from noticing Kukai, who was smirking his head off.

"What?" she demanded, her voice cracking.

"Was that your first?" the auburn-haired asked, his hair rustling.

"My first?" the girl replied, confused.

"You know…your first kiss, was it?"

Amu blushed and turned her head away as Kukai's smirk returned to his lips. She didn't want to be laughed at by neither Ikuto nor that auburn head, the two most famous players in the area. They had probably kissed every high school girl in a twenty feet radius from them. She scowled, tightening her hold on her gun and whirling around on the heel of her right foot to leave the room. But Kukai stopped her.

Without warning, he pulled her towards him and his mouth met hers. For the second time, Amu completely froze up again, eyes wide and disbelieving.

When the boy pulled away, he was licking his lips as well.

"Your lips are incredibly soft," he whispered, and Amu pushed him away without much further thought.

Ikuto chuckled. "Stay, Amu Hinamori…you're the best girl I've kissed so far…"

The pink-haired girl was speechless at first and then she growled, "No way!"

"I'm afraid she can't Ikuto…" Kukai said melodiously. "Remember, you've got a date! Hopefully, I'll be able to score a make-out session with Utau or something…"

Ikuto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah…I know…the girl that asked me out this time is actually pretty hot so I'm not missing this one."

For a moment, Amu didn't know how to react. A few minutes ago, these two boys had just given her a kiss…and now they were already talking about their next one? Years ago, the pinkette had discussed with Rima that her first kiss would definitely be with someone she liked and adored…this didn't cut it. For her first – and second – smooch to be stolen away by the likes of these…these monsters...was unbearable in the girl's perspective. Clenching her hands together, she punched the wall next to her, where the impact crumbled quite a bit of the plaster. The two males looked at her, with a look that asked her why she was still there. Pressing her lips into a straight line, she pointed at each of them.

"I hate you both!" she cried and dashed out, her footsteps tapping on the ground like thunder. Her blood was pumping to her head very quickly as she thought over what had just happened. A kiss, a kiss, a kiss…a kiss times two…

What was more, Amu could feel something in her heart…a throbbing feeling. Rima had sometimes explained that when she felt like she liked someone, her heart would start aching and yearning. Dread filled the pinkette indefinitely. The only question that consumed her was…which of those playboys exactly had stolen the heart of the law-abiding Amu Hinamori?

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_Name: Amu Hinamori_

_ Position: Police Officer_

_ Age: 15, freshman in high school_

_ Mission: ERROR REPORTED; FORGOTTEN; DATA ERASED…searching…searching…new mission received…Kukai Soma and Ikuto...payback time…_

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**I hope you guys liked this chapter! I apologize that it's short, but I wanted to build up the tension and suspense that way! Thank you! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4: One Shot

**I'm really sorry that I took so long to update my story! I got caught up with schoolwork, then homework, then my other stories...but I'm glad that so many of you guys still reviewed! Thank you! :D**

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**Chapter Four: One Shot**

"I'm going!"

Amu shut her house door behind her as she made her way out, her head pounding from the innumerable encores Ami had sung to her father in her high-pitched voice. Running her hand down her face once, she exited her home's yard, creaking the gate closed as the sound of a car engine neared. When she turned, the pink-haired girl stumbled back as she realized the approaching vehicle was parked right in front of her on the curb, it's driver chewing a piece of gum in annoyance.

"This her, Ikuto?" the person asked, his orange hair swaying in the light breeze that picked up. His arm hung out the side of the sports car as the roof folded, exposing every rider to direct sunlight. In the backseat was none other than Ikuto Tskuyomi, his expression the very definition of boredom. Unsurprisingly, a girl hung onto him, giving his chin light kisses. The boy gestured for her to climb in.

"Want a ride?"

With a horribly vivid memory of what had happened last night, Amu ignored him and started to walk, her feet heavy and tired from all the running she had done. In the corner of her eye, she witnessed Ikuto waving for his makeshift chauffer to drive slowly. The vehicle pulled up to her again.

"Get in," the driver ordered and the pink-haired girl began to run. She was abruptly pulled back and dragged into the seat, where the orange headed boy buckled her in and slammed his foot onto the pedal. For a moment, she clung to the door handle, waiting for the car to slow so she could throw herself out. Eventually, she gave up on the idea and leaned back warily, cringing at the speed they were going at. Behind her, she could hear Ikuto and the female kissing, disgusted that her morning had been ruined so drastically.

"Amu," a voice whispered in her ear. She shrieked, her fist coming down on the face of the blue-haired boy behind her. He grabbed her hand quickly, his smirk extremely unbearable.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, his lips curling up mockingly. The pink-haired girl felt the strongest urge to punch him in the center of his face, but she held back, breathing out her nose and inhaling slowly.

"Absolutely not."

The scenery around them changed as the car turned a corner, careening just a little due to the speed they were pulling off. Blanching, she grabbed the side door, and held on, her palms clammy and trembling.

"Slow down, would you Kou?" Ikuto asked the driver. The boy shook his head no, his fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.

"Kukai said we gotta be there pronto, and that's what I'm aiming to do."

"And what I said," the blue-haired boy said, his tone flat, but his stare icy cold, "is to slow down."

Reluctantly, Kou eased off the gas pedal, and immediately, the car lost its speed. The deafening hum of the engine died down a little, permitting the girl to think once again. Ikuto leaned back, the unknown girl in the backseat once again grabbing him and smothering him.

"Stop," he ordered, pushing her off. "Kukai invited me to a date. It wouldn't be good for the girl he called out to see me like this."

"Wait," Amu said in a strained voice, "where exactly are we going?"

Ikuto smiled placidly at her. "Kukai told us to meet at a karaoke place. Who knows how that'll turn out like?"

The pinkette gripped her seat, shutting her eyes tightly. When she finally opened them, she whirled around in her seat, and gazed coldly at the boy situated behind her.

"Stop the car."

"No can do. We're already behind schedule, and Kukai absolutely hates waiting. He's got no sense of patience."

Amu grit her teeth, and grabbed the driver's shirt collar. "Stop the car."

The boy named Kou pulled away, smoothing down his sweater front. "You heard what the 'boss' said."

"Was that sarcasm?" Ikuto asked in a bored tone, but Amu could hear the venom behind it.

"Let me out!" Amu snapped, clutching at the car door's handle. Her knuckles had gone completely white as the color drained from her face. This situation reminded her exactly of that night. That one time when her whole life had been altered so weirdly out of control that…

"Let me out," she said softly, partly to remain defiant and partly to cut off her stream of thoughts.

"I've been wondering," Ikuto said smoothly, resting his head on his hand. The corner of his lips twitched with the traces of a faint smile. He crossed his legs; all of a sudden, the aura around him seemed serious, and almost urged Amu to be quiet.

"That's funny. I didn't know you thought at all, let alone wondered about things," the girl said bitterly, forfeiting her efforts of an escapade.

"Why do you even want to become a police officer?"

"I don't want to be looked down upon other police-"

"That doesn't exactly explain why you went into the business of law enforcement."

"I created the Rose-!"

"That is entirely unrelated."

"My father was a policeman!"

"As I recall, your father is a photographer."

Amu fell silent, her mouth taut in a tight-lipped line. Ikuto raised an eyebrow, smirking evilly. "Well?"

She didn't answer, but turned back to the situation at hand. In the distance, a little dot waving to them could be seen.

"That'll be Kukai," Kou sighed, "I wonder if he's ever heard the saying 'Patience is a virtue'."

"You say that in an utterly exhausted tone, but it sounds like you admire him," Amu said through clenched teeth. She was so upset with everything that was happening that it was difficult to even hold a normal conversation – well, as normal as it could get, anyways.

"Of course I do. Every guy out there does. He always gets the hottest chicks to-!"

"All right, I really don't want to hear the end of that sentence!" the pinkette shouted, covering her ears with her hands.

Kou gave her a slight smirk. "I was going to say 'go on dates with'. How did you think that sentence was going to end?"

Amu could feel her face becoming hot with embarrassment, and she ducked her head down, muttering, "Well, Kukai seems like _that _kind of playboy type so…."

Kou burst out laughing. "The most he's ever done with a girl is make out with her."

"That's still disgusting. He should really settle down with someone."

The driver of the car pulled into a curb, shaking his head. "As far as I can tell, Kukai has never taken an interest in anybody. There's something off about him…"

"About who?"

Amu shrieked as the aforementioned person's face popped out of nowhere on her side of the car. She pushed herself backwards, the small of her back hitting the lever of the car. Kukai looked at her with confused emerald green eyes, and then he grinned at her.

"Glad you could make it, Hinamori," he greeted, then turned to the girl in the backseat of the car. "Hey there, babe."

Amu glanced at Kou from the sides of her eyes; he noticed and mouthed, 'He has never met that chick before in his life.'

Almost rolling her eyes in an unsurprised gesture, the pinkette opened the car door, and began to get out. Ikuto stopped her, his arm pulling back on the car handle.

"Going somewhere?" he whispered in her ear. She wanted to push him away, but she had been frozen to the spot.

"Uh, yeah, school. This place is only like a mile away from it."

"Stay with me," he said, a smug look rising upon his features.

"In your dreams," Amu growled, jerking back her elbow so that it hit him in the chest. He didn't grunt in surprise or pain, but only kept smiling slightly. The girl got out, her fury almost boiling over the top, but she was prevented from leaving by another individual.

"Hiiiiinaaaaamoooorrrrriiii, where ya goin'?" Kukai asked in a singsong voice, stepping in front of her abruptly. She backed away from him, trying to sidestep out of his way. He blocked her path happily, cocking his head to look her in the eye.

"No, no, no. Nooone of that noooow! We're goin' to go in there and have some fuuuun!"

"Would you stop talking like that?" Amu snapped, clutching her school bag firmly, "And just an FYI, I really don't want to know how you guys have 'fun'. That aside, I bet the people in this place won't even let you in!"

"If that were true," the auburn-haired boy said slowly, stalling her, "than how'd we get in last time, and the time before that, and the time before before that? All of which occurred before school on weekdays…and not a holiday either?"

Amu pursed her lips. How was she supposed to know? She tried to pass by him. Amused, he latched onto her arm, and pulled her in for a hug. She almost yelped as he laid his chin on her head, and said, "Come on, just stay with me for a little while?"

_Stay with me. _Ikuto's earlier words sent a shudder through her, and she pulled away from Kukai. "No."

_Stay with us. We'll make your life bett…er, Amu….chan._

The pinkette felt her pupils dilate as the memory passed through her. With a bitter taste like bile in her mouth, she turned to run. But strong arms enveloped her.

_Don't run, 007, bad girl._

Amu screamed as she washed back to another time for just an instant: a blinding whiteness, that sharp metallic gray, and the soupy red…

And then her surroundings fell into place, suddenly sharpening and making sense. Her hearing had suddenly become better, her calmness settled back into place, and a new strength over took her. In just a moment, the girl realized what had happened and closed her eyes, concentrating until her fear and fast heartbeats began to come into existence again.

"Aw, jeez, that hurt my ears," Kou grumbled; he was the one who was holding her captive. "Here ya go, Ikuto."

The blue-haired boy gripped her wrist tightly, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Don't run."

Unfortunately, that little statement had been directed towards Amu too many times before, and did nothing to cure her fear and anger.

* * *

Inside, blaring music echoed from all walls as the Seiyo Boys' friends gathered around. Amu sat in one of the booths, alone, holding her head as her memories came wafting back. She tried to force them out, but they were clear and sharp in her mind. The lab coats, the fake smiles, that horrible, vile container filled to the brim with-

"Hey, Hinamori, aren't you going up to sing something?"

The sight of Kukai's face just made Amu angrier.

"No! If you can recall, I never even wanted to come here!"

"Then, didn't you want to see me?" a deep voice asked from behind her, the person's breath warm on the back of her neck. She yelped indignantly, bringing her hands up to cover that part, and glared into Ikuto's eyes.

"Knock it off! Would you two just stop popping up randomly?"

"I agree," said Kukai tightly to Amu's surprise. "Ikuto, could we _talk _for a moment?"

The blue-haired boy obliged, and the two went out the door. Their absence killed the mood of the gathering, but Amu stayed focused on the shut door for a long time. Finally, gathering up all her courage, she got up from her table, and slipped out the door as well, deciding which way to go to find the pair. It wasn't hard…mostly because their angry, whispering voices came clearly from the far side of the hallway.

The pinkette followed the argument, until she was close enough – just around the corner from them – to make out their words.

"I thought you said that you weren't going to get close to anyone after _that," _Kukai said ferociously. "But you're clearly getting way too close to that chick in there."

Clearly, by 'that chick in there', he probably meant Amu.

"_Me_ getting close to _her_? You're the one going around hugging the sucker," Ikuto scoffed.

'Sucker' was probably another insulting codename for her.

"And you're in the same position as I am, Kukai."

"I know I am! I've known it for seven years already! Ever since we were nine-!"

_Ever since I was eight…_

"…we've been entirely different from everyone else."

…_I've been entirely different from everyone else._

Amu's breath caught in her throat. Could they really be Victims as well?

"Did you hear that?" Kukai asked, straightening and falling silent. Before she could have any time to react, Ikuto's face popped around the corner. His features went white, then pale, and then finally regained its natural color.

"Amu," he said, his voice cracking.

"Aren't I just the 'sucker'?" she blurted out. She knew she had just made a mistake. Saying a part of their earlier conversation would give away that she had been present for the rest. But now that she had this uneasy, unsettling, fluttering feeling in her stomach from the two boys' conversation, she had suddenly become bold.

"It's very impolite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations," Kukai said coolly, his face rigid and cold. Ikuto smirked, shoving his hands into his pants pockets leisurely.

"You…are you-?"

Before the pinkette could even finish her sentence, a piercing scream ricocheted in the air – from the place where all three had just come from. Amu's face went white as paper as she thought about all the people gathered in the room. "What has happened?"

Kukai sprang into action, and Ikuto began to sprint as well, both of their facial expressions suddenly deadly serious and frightened. It took a moment before Amu could move again, then she began to trail behind them, her heart beating fast, so fast. To be a human meant to feel fear, to be a human meant to have a heart that beat wildly in your chest, to be a human…meant that life _meant _something. But she could not deny that the inevitable would have to happen.

She signaled the Change within her, mentally grabbing it into a bunch and releasing it through her body. The transformation was slowly powering up, flowing through her veins and arteries trickle by trickle. Any moment now…but they were already at the door.

"Hinamori! Stay back!" Kukai said softly, but she didn't listen. Standing on tiptoe, she could already feel that cold, sick dread creeping through her.

Horrible beings, parts of their skin overgrown with fur, and their mouths deformed by large teeth, peered at them. One of them had a girl in its arms, so close to ripping her apart, but too slow for the catch.

So the Scientists were at it again, huh?

"Poor guy," Ikuto lamented, before breaking into a smile.

"Even real werewolves wouldn't be as ugly as them," Kukai snorted.

Amu involuntarily screamed as a creature lunged at them, aiming for Ikuto's jugular. The boy ducked, shoved his hands up, and grabbed the beast by its neck. With not the slightest sign that he was putting his greatest effort into heaving the wolf being up, he flung it into a wall, where it crashed and slid into unconsciousness.

Kukai smiled, giving his friend the thumbs up. "Nice one."

"Watch your neck."

The auburn-haired boy vaguely thwacked away a beast leaping for his throat, looking slightly bored. "The Scientists have really lost their touch…not that there was any skill in the first place."

Ikuto rolled his eyes, and then dug the heel of his boot into another animal's face. Throughout all of the fighting, Amu stayed behind them, reaching for something in her bag. Something that she had never left behind for years.

As the last yelp of a werewolf died out, the pinkette slipped it out…her Rose-X077.

"I knew it," she whispered, and Ikuto turned to look at her.

"What the-?" Kukai began to say, but Amu had already pulled the trigger.

The single shot was loud, but she didn't wince, not even when the bullet ran right through Ikuto's head. Even as blood began to trickle down the blue-haired boy's forehead.

And why?

Because the boy was still standing. Ikuto was still standing, and he was very much still alive.

* * *

**Things have suddenly taken a turn for a fantasy fiction/ science fiction! Next Chapter: Exclusion From Mankind**

**Where the Scientists and the mentioned "Victims" will be explained! **


	5. Chapter 5: Exclusion From Mankind

**Thank you for all your reviews! I hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Exclusion From Mankind**

Silence was the only thing that was left after the shot's ring had long died out. Kukai's expression had never changed to one of shock, so his neutral face had stayed the same for minutes. Amu's entire concentration was given to Ikuto, whose head bullet wound was slowly healing. The girl watched as the blood slowly turned from a stream to a trickle, and the bullet from the Rose-X finally slipped out from his forehead. The hole of the injury closed, and for a moment, the eerie quiet of the situation was all that followed.

"Are you one of them?" Kukai finally asked, his eyes narrowing into slits.

The pinkette didn't answer; she focused on reloading her gun, a slight tremble in her hands the only thing that gave away her anxiety.

Ikuto ran his hand over his forehead, fingering the place where the bullet had entered moments ago. He didn't wince as he did it, but remained passive, watching as Amu cleaned off her Rose-X.

"How did you know I wasn't going to die?" the blue-haired boy asked.

The pink-haired girl decided against slipping her weapon into her bag, and brought the barrel of the handgun to her chin; she smiled slyly.

"I didn't."

"Then why the heck-?"

"Either you're defect is that you die, or you have some other kind of disability…who knows?"

Kukai stared at her, and asked again. "Are you one of them? A Scientist?"

"Heck, no."

She started to clean off her gun again.

"Then are you one of us?" Ikuto asked her, examining her very closely.

"One of us?" she asked innocently, "And what do you mean by that, may I ask?"

"You know what he means, and you know what we are, and you know what those were back there," Kukai said coldly, all humor gone for once. "So tell us; are you a Defect too?"

Amu stared at him, then turned her gun towards herself, and pulled the trigger. "Good enough for you?"

The bullet had entered where her heart was, but the girl still stood.

Ikuto stared at her. "Kukai, I think she's one of us."

The auburn-haired boy sneered. "Good job, Sherlock Holmes."

The blue-haired boy smirked back, and raised an eyebrow at Amu, who was looking up at the boys expectantly. Her wound was healing, and the bullet was coming out slowly. After a few minutes, it was finally squeezed out and clattered to the floor with a metallic clang.

She bent down and picked it up, along with the one that had come out of Ikuto's head.

"We better go somewhere else to chat. The police'll come down here, any second. The police around here? Yeah, they're with the Scientists," she said, and beckoned for the boys to follow her to the back exit.

"Forget it, sweetheart," Kukai said sharply, "I'm leading the way out of here."

"Have it your way," Amu said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders and following.

"I know a perfect place where we can talk."

Kukai's definition of a "perfect place where they could talk" was a dark alleyway that smelled like something had recently died in it. Amu leaned unhappily against the wall behind her, frowning deeply. The two boys confronted her warily, and finally Kukai dared to ask her the question all Defects got.

"So…when did the Scientists take you?"

Amu blinked. "What test numbers are you guys?"

Kukai and Ikuto exchanged glances, and finally answered.

Kukai: 017

Ikuto: 018

Amu smiled, her lips curving upwards. "So the later generation, huh?"

"Wha-?"

"The kids who got abducted first for text experiments were named 001 all the way to 010. The later generation – where the Scientists thought they had control – was 011 all the way to 020."

"They thought they had _control _over turning twenty kids into preternatural human beings!?" Kukai asked.

"They were cocky enough that they thought they probably thought they could turn us all into successful…"

"…vampires," Amu finished, her eyes blazing with fury. "But they messed up. And ten Defects weren't enough for them. They thought they had a grip on the Transformation from turning a normal human into a vampire! But they were wrong. They messed up on the next batch too. All they got were…"

"…a couple of vampires with serious handicaps," Ikuto concluded. "We know. We were collected for the experiments, remember?"

Amu smiled. "They told me that I was going to save the world. They were going to utilize us as the military's secret weapons. Once they discovered 001 – 010 were complete fails, they gave up on the first generation. Except for one, who was almost perfect."

"And that was…?"

"Me. Test Subject 007 AKA Bad Girl 007, the Transformer."

"What?"

"Right now, you could try to kill me all you want, you could try to tire me out, but I won't be tired and I won't stay down. I'm one hundred percent vampire."

"Then what are you doing going around calling yourself a defect?" Kukai inquired icily.

"I said 007 was _almost _perfect, remember?" Amu replied, "I have the will to change myself from Vampire to totally human. The only problem is that if I'm triggered by strong emotions such as fear or anger, I sometimes revert back from preternatural to human. Or vice versa."

"Still better than what most people have," Ikuto said simply.

"Then, what's wrong with you?"

Ikuto and Kukai looked at each other again.

The auburn-haired boy sighed, "When the scientists saw that the six people ahead of us were failing, they got impatient. They got numbers 017 and 018 – us – and tried an experiment to try to speed things up. As a result, we got the same defects."

Ikuto smirked, "If we're shot too many times, we'll die, and if we ever ingest or get injected with poison, we'll die. Our hearts beat like humans, and we don't need to drink blood to live."

Amu examined them. Indeed, Ikuto looked a little bit paler than before. The bullet wound must have taken a lot out of him, yet he still had enough energy to come off as smug.

A sudden wave of exhaustion came over her, and she closed her eyes. The coldness was ebbing away, and she felt her cheeks heat up. Her whole body seemed to come alive within her, and she took a deep breath.

"Did you just turn back into a human?" Ikuto queried. The girl kept her eyes closed for a few more moments before slightly nodding. She pressed her temples, and muttered something under her breath. When she was done steadying herself, she opened her eyes again.

"Quite a few defects you guys have, huh? So if your heart beats, and it's possible for you to die…that means you guys age like humans?"

Kukai shrugged. "Just glad we're not going to end up like those poor saps in those vampire stories."

"Huh?"

"You know…the ones where the vampire dude falls for the human girl, but the human girl ages, and the guy doesn't…?"

"No."

"All right then. Do you age normally, as well?"

Amu frowned, twisting her hair around her finger. "Yeah. No matter if I'm supernatural or natural, I can feel myself _aging. _You know, at the slow rate every human ages at. It's odd."

"That aside," Ikuto said impatiently. "If you were _almost _perfect, did they keep you longer?"

"Yeah, they did."

"And they did what?"

"They tried to get rid of my disabilities. And there was one thing that they never gave up on every time I visited that sickeningly white laboratory."

She stopped, licking her lips as they went dry.

"What?" the two boys asked, arching their eyebrows.

"They'd cram me into that room, and shoot me a couple of times. I was okay. They were pleased. Then," Amu clutched onto her skirt, "they'd bring in a guy dressed up in a protective suit. He'd come in with this big vat full of something. And every freaking time, I knew what that 'something' was."

The pinkette took a few breaths before going on. "It was blood."

The blue-headed and auburn-haired males appeared confused, clearly not understanding her fear. They could smell and taste the emotion rolling off her strongly.

"My other defect," Amu said in a low voice, "is that I'm allergic to any other blood than my own. If I ingest another person's – or animal's – blood, I will grow weak. If too much is swallowed, it'll become fatal for me. The Scientists knew just the amount to give me so that I'd have to drink it, but wouldn't die."

"That guy in layered clothing would grab my hair and cram the container into my mouth…then that thick liquid…who knows where they got it from…"

Ikuto sighed. "The way they were…they probably wouldn't hesitate to kill someone to get that."

Kukai laughed coldly. "They messed up our lives."

Amu looked at the auburn-haired boy curiously, and smirked. "It looks like you're not as happy go lucky as I thought you were."

He looked smugly back at her. "How can I? We don't fit in with humans, nor would we ever fit in with vampires if there were any complete, un-defected ones. We're excluded from everybody."

The blue-haired boy clapped his friend's back. "What did they tell your parents when they brought you home?"

"Nothing," Amu shrugged. "My real parents were Scientists. I'm adopted."

Ikuto raised an eyebrow. "My mother is gone, and my father wouldn't care less about where I am."

Kukai looked away, and said softly. "They took my family somewhere."

The pinkette sighed, bringing a hand to her forehead. "They did something to all of the families who were involved with the project. They couldn't risk suspicion…and they tried to make every accident that occurred to those who were involved as natural as possible – landslides, avalanches, mudslides, you name it, and they did it."

"Some people are just crazy for success," Kukai whispered, his gaze falling to the ground.

Ikuto made a grunting sound. "And they've achieved it."

Amu looked up. "What?"

Kukai smiled. "Yeah. And the one they've succeeded on is pretty hot."

The blue-haired boy rolled his eyes. "My little sister…Utau, they've managed to turn her into a perfect vampire."

Kukai smiled, his eyes frozen with hostility. "Test subject X-21, AKA The Successful Killer.

* * *

**Again, hope you liked this chapter! Please leave me a review and tell me what you think! Please...no negative reviews! I worked for sometime on this chapter...and sorry I took so long to update! XC But I hope you still liked it! :D**


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